The storyline was clear from the start. Anyone can work out the film is about a cage dive and wouldn’t be a thriller unless something unexpected happened. Clearly then events were predictable. There were limited twists, and certain parts did drag.
You may be surprised to hear then, that the first part of the film before the adventure, borderline impressed me. The plot background was clearly explained which gave the basis for a film anyone could start to get into. After the scene was well set, some playful relationship footage helps entice you in to the drama. In any adventure film, close and believable relationships are essential for audience connection to the characters’ emotions. Especially in times of turmoil and activity. Here, these relationships were present, and a little varied, despite not appearing totally authentic. This should have helped continue an engaging plot throughout the film. Unfortunately things rumbled on a little slowly and predictably with no real surprises.

Tension

Tension building is one of the most important aspects of a thriller. Here music wasn’t used, so to compensate, expressions and reactions were under the spotlight. Before any real indication of tension, horrific events began to occur. This seemed briefly exciting, but with subsequent tense moments barely distinguishable from normal life, clearly something was missing.
Emotions were over-emphasised, during repetitive “easy spooks”, yet were hardly believable when something significant actually happened. Camera angles were barely changed, and footage remained above the waters surface for most of the time. Limited variation in shots, dramatic responses and shocking events, kept the film on a fairly dull level throughout. No climax or twist occurred at the end.

Characters

The characters were mostly well played, although emotions weren’t always believable. Characters appeared to be selected more for looking attractive, than using a range of expressions to truly captivate the viewer. Limited background information to the characters, meant any troubles faced, didn’t tug at my heart strings, or pluck them any faster. I wasn’t scared at all throughout the film duration, even though I wanted to be.

Summary

A well introduced and inspired movie, accessible to all. Lack of tension building, slow pace and predictable plot weren’t saved by mediocre acting and limited camera angles. I would recommend the viewer watches the introduction until the adventure but little enjoyment follows. Not a disaster, yet barely worth your time.